Data Connection Tab (Project Properties Dialog Box)

Data Connection Tab (Project Properties Dialog Box)

Use this tab to set up how the model uses an SQL database or a Microsoft® SQL Server™ 2000 Analysis Services database.

Options

SQL Connection

Create a connection to an SQL database.

Enable SQL

Create entities associated with tables and fields and generate queries for SQL databases.

For an OLAP project, selecting the Enable SQL check box allows you to build an English Query model with entities and relationships directly associated with the SQL database tables and fields underlying the OLAP objects. This allows users to ask questions about database objects that may not be present in the OLAP cube.

Connection

Specify the data source connection string used to connect to the SQL database. Available only if you have enabled SQL.

Change

Display the Data Link Properties dialog box, where you change your connection. Available only if SQL is enabled.

For information about the Data Link Properties dialog box, see the Microsoft Data Link API documentation.

Type and Version

Select the database management system, such as SQL Server, and the version number of the database management software. Available only if SQL is enabled.

Enable Outer Joins

Specify that the English Query application should generate SQL queries containing outer joins.

By selecting this option, you display rows in which no matching data is found. For example, if the question is Show the people and their salaries for 1999, the answer will include all people whether or not they had salaries in 1999.

OLAP Connection

Create a connection to an Analysis Server database.

Enable OLAP

Create entities associated with OLAP objects and query an OLAP cube in an Analysis Services database.

If you create a project without using a Project wizard, by default, both Enable SQL and Enable OLAP are selected.

Enable both OLAP and SQL if questions cannot be answered using only an Analysis Services database or to speed up the retrieval of data for questions that are not about aggregation of data, such as "What products do people buy?"

Connection

Specify the data source connection string used to connect to the Analysis Services database. Available only if you have enabled OLAP.

Change

Display the Select An Analysis Server dialog box, where you change your connection. Available only if you have enabled OLAP.

Type and Version

Select the database management system, such as MS Analysis Services, and the version number of the database management software. Available only if OLAP is enabled.

Vocabulary

Specify that the vocabulary (values for entities) should be loaded from the database.

Select this option to include entity values in the dictionary. Clear for a faster compile time.

Words per entry

Specify a limit to the number of words to be added to the dictionary from each field or level. Select a lower number to decrease compile time.

Sample data

Specify that the sample data values should be loaded for each entity. When selected prior to building an application, sample data is useful for generating instance values in Question Builder.

Clear for faster modeling and compile time.

Note  To use Question Builder and include instance values, select Sample data prior to building the application.

See Also

Creating an English Query Model

Expanding an English Query Model